The news over the weekend of George Harrison's death was received with grief the world over for his immense contribution to popular music as we know it today but the guitarist and songwriter also contributed a great deal to the British film industry.
The Beatle's career broadened considerably when the band split he was the first to embark on a successful solo career with the single, My Sweet Lord, in 1970. After forming Dark Horse Records in 1974 he set up an independent film production company called Handmade Films in 1978.
The company produced a number of films in the 16 years he was involved before finally selling up in 1994 due to falling profits for UKP5m.
Three of those films remain as cult classics: Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979) was an all Python affair with Terry Jones directing a script contributed to by all but Gilliam, Harrison made a cameo appearance.
Terry Gilliam's superb fantasy adventure, Time Bandits (1981) was littered with cameos. Harrison contributed to the production by also writing the music and lyrics with Mike Moran.
A Private Function (1984), was more dramatic yet still strictly a comedy. Malcolm Mowbray directed yet another rich British cast that included Maggie Smith, Denholm Elliot and Richard Griffiths.
The most successful of Handmade's films, critically and finacially, has to be Bruce Robinson's, Withnail and I (1987). Another great cast for this all British classic that again featured Griffiths, alongside Richard E Grant, Paul McGann and Michael Elphick.
George Harrison - musician and film producer, who died in Los Angeles aged 58.
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The Beatle's career broadened considerably when the band split he was the first to embark on a successful solo career with the single, My Sweet Lord, in 1970.